D&D 5E Witcher: Mother of Monsters

[Quickleaf]

Ergot seeds and elven feainneweed originally brought the five of you into the Czenhurst, also called the Black Forest by villagers. Your supposition, based on traces of the seeds and flowers in “Old Nan’s” magical mortar-and-pestle, was that when mixed in the right proportions in her mortar, these herbs would open a portal. It was the best lead you had so far on finding “Old Nan”, who was starting to seem more village myth than actual flesh-and-blood.

However, a few hours into your search in the woods west of Lower Posada, you spotted the agitated white raven familiar of Margarita Laux-Antille. Think what you like of the haughty sorceress, something didn’t seem right, so you elected to follow the white raven which led you to the base of a hill, an ancient stone henge. This was once the Circle of Tagha Bough, druids who used to tend the woods. It was there you found a misshapen creature, barely humanoid and barely sentient, Talashia deducing that it was indeed Margarita.

Tamaran scouted out the hill, finding a lumbering ogre – or perhaps a troll as witcher Fergus believed – downwind to the north. And Barakor Bloodbarrow recognized crescent-and-dagger-like symbols etched into the trees from the darkness that had overtaken Mahakam. Despite Elora’s best efforts, she was unable to remove the curse afflicting Margarita – in fact, the curse had been cast long ago by an evil sorcerer while Margarita was yet a girl, yet Margarita found ways to mitigate its effects through her own ingenious magic, and only recently had some fell magic-user dispelled Margarita’s efforts so the original curse could resume it malignant course.

Leaving the mewling Margarita by the base of the hill, you cautiously ascend beneath the alders in the diffuse light of the cloudy afternoon. Passing through the first ring of menhirs, you see no sign of any creatures. The engravings have been eroded by rain and time. From this vantage point you can make out a small stone sepulchre or shrine at the western edge of the hilltop. However, as you approach the middle ring of menhirs…

GM: Margarita dropped her belt pouch trying to give something to Talashia, but it seems the curse has addled her ability to recall what she was looking for. No amount of pantomime clarifies the situation; you’ve already tried. The following items were scattered on the forest floor. IF anyone takes any of these items, please let me know which one or ones specifically that you take: A light blue-grey potion that seems to swirl like mist. An empty glass vial. A crystal lens that might be part of a megascope. A small powder box, radiating wisps of evocation magic to Elora’s & Talashia’s sight. 20 gold coins, printed in Novigrad. A mage's component pouch.

[SECTION]A whisper in Dwarven comes from the woods, ”The hunter has the advantage.” Were it not for the heavy trodding of human and dwarven feet behind him, Tamaran might have noticed the lithe pale blonde-haired woman slipping from the inner ring of menhirs. Her cat-like eyes bore into the elf with preternatural intensity, as if she’d stepped from the very stone itself. Only another elf had ever surprised Tamaran before. Those of you who traversed the Blue Mountains together recognize witcheress Kynee. Before you’ve had time to recover from her sudden appearance, she locks eyes on Talashia and crosses her hands across the hilt of her rapier.

”You’ve known enough of betrayal, and for that I am sorry,” are her only words (speaking in Common) before her fingers start etching a subtle symbol even as ‘sorry’ leaves her thin lips…

As a gust of wind plays through the alders, a shrill whistle comes from the the hilt of Talashia’s dagger, Windsong, the note snapping your attention to imminent danger.[/SECTION]

GM: Stealth check: 1d20+5 22 Kynee would have surprised you, were it not for Talashia’s Windsong, dagger of warning. Kynee Initiative: 1d12 8 which translates to 10+DEX+1 which is 14. In my initiative system for PbP, players always win ties.

GM: Initiative Player Group #1 18 Talashia 17 Fergus 14 Tamaran Enemies 14 Kynee Player Group #2 13 Elora 10 Barakor

 

[Shayuri]

"Oh no, Kynee," Talashia says in a hard voice. "Don't apologize to me yet. You aren't nearly as sorry as you're going to be."

Wind gusted, twirling around Talashia and lifting her into the air atop a dusty vortex. Her hair crackled out from her head like a candle's flame, and lightning danced along her body, leaping from legs to waist to arm and then poured out her hands towards the witcher!

The arc dug a furrow into the ground, spattering Kynee with singed sod as she flinched aside!

(Witch Bolt: [roll0], flying back 10' to be behind Fergus via class feature. [roll1] damage on hit.)

 

[Azurewraith]

Tamaran backs up placing the dwarf between him and Kynee, dwarves are sturdy making them good shields and their height makes them easy to shoot over.

Tamaran takes a arrow from his quiver, pulls back the string and let's it fly silently. Following the flying arrow through the air Tamaran's companion lunges at the witcher. If there was any emotions getting in the way of fighting your "allies" certainly non where to be found in this snarling beast.

OOC: Tamaran's actions. Move: 20ft back to stand next to Barakor's shield. Action:[roll0] [roll1] Depending on what version of natural explorer Tamaran may have advantage on the first attack against a creature who hasn't acted. Wolf actions. Move: Into melee range of Kynee Action:[roll2] [roll3] Kynee must make a DC11 str saving throw or prone. It is worth noting through beast bond that Tamarans companion and his Prof bonus to its AC making it 15 not the default 13

 

[Quickleaf]

GM: Over to you [MENTION=26316]Fergus[/MENTION]

 

[Queenie]

OOC: I think you should probably skip him for the weekend. Don't want to lose the momentum we have going.

 

[Quickleaf]

[SECTION]Kynee's eyes flash in the washed gloom of the cloudy sunset, feet tense, body coiled as the elf Tamaran nocks and looses an arrow. She is preternaturally fast, her rapier catching the edge of the arrow mid-flight so that its course leads it to just graze her cheek with a thin line of red blood. Running her thumb across her cheek, she snarls as the wolf nips at her heels, twisting her padded leggings clear of its jaws and thrusting at it too hastily with her rapier. The blade narrowly misses, but buys Kynee a moment to safely slip backward into the innermost circle of stones, hard to pinpoint her through the menhirs and overgrowth.

Whistling harshly, the pale blonde witcheress drops into a ready stance, one hand twitching at her side, the other grasping her rapier tightly.[/SECTION]

GM: Kynee Cat Parry: 1d8+3 9 reduce damage of arrow attack; 10 - 9 = 1 damage Kynee Rapier attack vs. Wolf (AC 13): 1d20+8 12 miss Kynee gains 1/2 cover (+2 AC and Dex saves).

[SECTION]Leaving the stone sepulchre or shrine is a woman with weathered skin and a brown robe festooned with charms. It is hard to get a clear view of her from your position, but she appears to be holding a stone tablet in one hand, holding it close like a recent prized acquisition. Swaying to and fro, she speaks in a rasping voice, uttering Elder Speech, ”Rwy'n ymosod ar nimiau afon Dyfne, dewch ataf, dewch ataf.” (I invoke the mists of the river Dyfne, come to me, come to me)

There is a hissing sound from the edges of the forest and you hear a faint gurgling cry come from Margarita’s position to the south as tendrils of thick mist pour up the hilltop, rising against gravity to blanket the entire area in a thick impenetrable fog that distorts sound within into haunting echoes.

From the north comes the huffing growling sound of the hooded brute, who must be lumbering toward the stone circle, but abruptly it stops…perhaps confounded by the mists.[/SECTION]

GM: The old witch moves into the innermost circle, where she has 1/2 cover (+2 AC and Dex saves). She then casts a boosted fog cloud which heavily obscures EVERYTHING on the map. The spell lasts for 1 hour, till her Concentration is broken, she voluntarily ends spell, or a wind of moderate or greater speed (at least 10 miles per hour) disperses it. While in a heavily obscured area a creature is effectively blinded – Attack rolls against the creature have advantage, and the creature’s attack rolls have disadvantage.

REMEMBER: These are just "last known locations" as of casting fog cloud.

GM: Monster Stats Kynee AC 15 HP 39 38 Old Witch ? Ogre/Troll ?

GM: Initiative [MENTION=8058]Queenie[/MENTION] and [MENTION=6672752]Aramalian[/MENTION] you’re up! Player Group #1 ✓18 Talashia 17 Fergus (skipped) ✓14 Tamaran Enemies ✓14 Kynee ✓14 Old Witch →Player Group #2 13 Elora 10 Barakor

 

[Queenie]

As the fog closed in about them, Elora tried not to panic. These were much stronger creatures than they. But perhaps the old witch would underestimate her new friends.

She knew she could only move small amounts of the fog with her magic, and it wouldn't be enough.

So instead she concentrated, sending her mind out to search for the thoughts of others in the area, directing it away from her own group and towards their enemies.

OOC: Elora is using detect thoughts to just find where the sentient creatures are. It looks like they may have changed this spell, so I'm not sure if it can still work this way, but this is what I'm trying http://engl393-dnd5th.wikia.com/wiki/Detect_Thoughts

 

[Fenris]

"Never trust a Cat Judoc always told me." growled Fergus as he drew his silver sword. A few long strides and Fergus was on top on her, his shield forward, sword slicing down towards the witcher even as he used his shield to smash into at the same time.

OOC: Attack _: 1D20+5 = [18]+5 = 23 Spending Combat Superiority Die for Shield Swipe Shield Swipe. When you hit a target while wielding a shield, you can spend a superiority die to deal extra damage equal to the number rolled. In addition, your AC increases by an amount equal to the number rolled against only the target you just attacked until the start of your next turn. Damage _: 1D8+3 = [4]+3 = 7 Shield Swipe _: 1D8 = [1] = 1 So 8 damage and Ac 19 against Kynee

 

[Aramalian]

Barakor Bloodbarrow snorts angrily. "Want to play hide and seek, do ye?" He waves his shield in front of him to clear the fog for a split-second, and remembers that there was a path in front of him. When I get to the path, he thinks, turn left and run!

OOC: Move + Dash to try and get basically to the center of the map. AC: 18 HP: 39 Spell Slots 3/3

 

[Quickleaf]

GM: OK [MENTION=8058]Queenie[/MENTION], I'm totally into creative spell uses! It sounds like you're trying to use detect thoughts (2nd level that requires you to see the creature when casting spell) like locate creature (4th level that does NOT require line of sight), am I understanding you right? So, I'm thinking two things: 1) we need to come up with a way that what you're doing with detect thoughts is *less powerful* than what locate creature does 2) we need to come up with something *extra* you'll expend besides the spell slot (e.g. Sorcery Points, extra spell slots) [SECTION] Locate Creature 4th-level divination Casting Time: 1 action Range: Self Components: V, S, M (a bit of fur from a bloodhound) Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour Describe or name a creature that is familiar to you. You sense the direction to the creature’s location, as long as that creature is within 1,000 feet of you. If the creature is moving, you know the direction of its movement. The spell can locate a specific creature known to you, or the nearest creature of a specific kind (such as a human or a unicorn), so long as you have seen such a creature up close—within 30 feet—at least once. If the creature you described or named is in a different form, such as being under the effects of a polymorph spell, this spell doesn’t locate the creature. This spell can’t locate a creature if running water at least 10 feet wide blocks a direct path between you and the creature.[/SECTION]